Alien Communications
by Itaweasel-hime
Summary: It was bad enough that everyone in his platoon had thought it was necessary to morph him into a Pekoponian. The last thing he needed was to be laughed at for it...or worse, called a pervert. GiroNatsu.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Keroro Gunsou.

* * *

In the darkness of his perfectly frog-sized laboratory, a certain curry-hued Keronian could not help but to let out a long series of chuckles. There was a very good reason that, despite the fact he outranked Keroro, he followed the green idiot's plans more often than not. If he had taken the initiative, and decided to lead his helpless platoon, he would never have had the time to have fun torturing his fellow soldiers with his devious (and outright _evil) _inventions. Sometimes, being a genius really was a curse.

Of course, this time, his project had been commissioned by Keroro, but Kururu had not minded in the least. His foolishly fearless leader had wanted him to create, yet another, ray gun, this time with the intention of being changed into a full-body Pikoponian suit. Keroro had probably just wanted something to leave the house in, since Natsumi had practically killed him for having his Keronian face showing in public again.

Naturally, Kururu had succeeded in creating his ray gun, and in a record-breaking thirteen minutes and forty-two seconds. However, being the conniving little frog that he was, he could not help but add a little of his own tastes to the invention; otherwise, he would have no fun watching the whole plot unfold. All this, for the sake of buying Gundam without being scolded by Natsumi. Before he handed the ray gun over to Keroro, and chaos ensued, he had one last step to the inventing process.

He needed to test the gun for its efficency. Kururu, for obvious reasons, could not test it on himself, and Keroro would cut his pay from headquarters should he use it on him and the results be unsatisfactory. This left him only one choice. He would have to first use it on his _favorite_ guinea pig.

Giroro.

* * *

Giroro swore that he felt a chill. Like every cell in his body was warning him of danger. He made a cursory glance around Keroro's basement room, where he, Tamama, and their _heroic_ leader was having a supposed meeting. It looked more like the Sergeant and Tamama were stuffing their faces with Pekoponian confections while making plans to go to some place called a _theme park. _Giroro had no interest in joining their party, but felt it was only right he at least be in the room. Lest their pathetic platoon fall to pieces completely. It was his duty to maintain at least the appearances that ARMPIT was somewhat operational.

Whatever the case, he could not see anything that could pose as being dangerous for a soldier like himself. It must have been his imagination, Giroro told himself. Or maybe Natsumi had returned home from school. That usually invoked strange feelings in him. He would have to go upstairs again in twenty minutes or so-he did not want her thinking he had rushed from his sad excuse of a war meeting for her sake. Only somewhat satisfied by this thought, he returned to polishing his ever-handy battle rifle.

It was approximately thirty seconds later that it occurred to him that Kururu was missing from the room, which could only mean he was in his lab. Which also usually meant mayhem was about to be let loose on their small platoon. Giroro knew he had realized this too late, however, and the damage was done. He only had the chance to hustle to his feet before Kururu had strolled out the miniature refrigerator with a rather hazardous looking ray gun propped on his shoulder.

Having no ability to sense danger, Keroro approached their yellow comrade excitedly. "Gero, gero, gero…It looks like you finished the _Pekoponian Disguise Device_ I asked you to make for me," the Sergeant commented slyly, giving the gun a quick look over. "How much better is it compared to what headquarters is giving A-ranked platoons?"

"You can test it if you want," Kururu snickered, purposefully looking in Giroro's direction through his thick glasses. "The transformation process might sting a little, though." The Corporal, despite being a weapons specialist that knew no fear, felt that same chill as before. He should have known all along, that he was bound to be Kururu's test subject, and should have made a run for it while it was still possible.

Keroro followed Kururu's gaze predictably enough, and made a devilish grin of his own. Of course he had to test out his new toy before using it on himself. What would he do if he changed into some deformed entity that belonged somewhere in the outskirts of the _Theta Planetary System, _past the seventy-sixth planet? Knowing his demented friend, there was too big of a chance that he would be changed into something horrible. And besides that, Giroro was a fairly strong Keronian. He could handle whatever it was that Kururu had up his sleeves.

"Hold…still," Keroro muttered as he aimed for Giroro with Kururu's newest invention. Pulling the trigger, a neon orange stream of light shot out, and Giroro only had a split-second to dodge it.

"You are not turning me into one of those Pekoponians with that stupid ray gun!" He shouted back at him, having only a moment to duck under Keroro's lawn chair before another stream of orange light was shot in his direction. Giroro was only thankful that the chair did not somehow turn into something unnatural; apparently, it only affected things that were already alive. He quickly added as another shot was made, "And remind me what the hell this has to do with the invasion plan!"

Kururu continued to cackle as Keroro aimed and fired again, before tossing a second ray gun at Tamama. He was nothing if not prepared. With two ray guns on him, and orange light bouncing around the room off the walls, it was a wonder that Giroro managed to last for so long, and even more amazing that no one else had been hit. In the end, however, the Corporal was bathed in the eery, orange light, and there was no stopping the alterations.

As the light faded away, in the middle of the room stood a redheaded, rather muscular, Pekoponian male. Giroro hesitantly looked down to find himself completely naked-besides the dark blue belt strapped across his abdomen. He could not help growling, before picking up Kururu by the scruff of his neck and bringing him to his eye level. "You will change me back now, or I will tear you up into a thousand pieces with my bare hands," He seethed, his glare deadly.

Even though he was beyond serious, Kururu remained unruffled by the threat. The fact that Giroro was now several times his size meant nothing to him. "What are you angry at _me_ for?" He sneered back. "I only followed orders in making a perfect disguise device, one that worked fairly well, if I might add. Shouldn't you be mad at the ones that shot at you?"

Giroro responded with a grunt, before scowling down at the two Keronians admiring his Pekoponian disguise. Kururu actually had a point, for once. He would deal with the mad scientist after he gutted the two idiots pulling at his new leg hair.

* * *

When Natsumi had arrive home, the Hinata household had been rather peaceful. Usually, she would have suspected that the frog aliens were up to no good, like always. However, at this point, she was too tired to care, and after so many years of having them in her house, she was used to their antics. She would stop their evil plans to invade the planet later, after she had taken a much needed bath.

At least, that had been her plan. Then she had heard a whole lot of shouts and loud crashing sounds. Before she had even gotten the chance to fill the tub, she had to run down the stairs and then to the basement, where the noise all originated from.

She threw open the door to Keroro's room, immediately yelling, "You frogs better not destroy the house again! I swear, I can't even rest for five minutes before-"

Then she froze. Standing in the room, with his hands around the necks of Tamama and Keroro, was a tall, redheaded man. A tall, redheaded man with a scar over his left eye, and a strangely familiar belt across his torso. A tall, redheaded man that was otherwise naked. Natsumi did not need a mirror to know that her entire face must have been a violent, tomato red. Her jaw dropped, and she let out a headsplitting scream.

In turn, all four occupants of the room stared at the blushing (screaming) girl, uncertain of what the problem was, and how to fix it. Thankfully, she answered the question for them. "Pervert! Why the hell are you naked? Get out of my house!"

It was only then that it occurred to them that Pekoponian males did not, generally, walk around without any clothes on. Unless they were perverts, or course. Unfortunately for Giroro, there really was not anything in the room that could have possibly fit him, and he doubted he would fit anyone else's clothing either. He instead grabbed his battle rifle for covering.

"I guess there is a flaw in my invention," Kururu snickered from the sidelines, not sounding in the least bothered by this. "I should have thought to have clothes be a part of the transformation process. Silly me."

"Well, fix it now!" Giroro snapped, baring his teeth at the sadistic inventor. Kururu shrugged.

"I'm not interested," he replied, turning back to the refrigerator that acted as a door to their secret base, with every intention of returning to his lab. "But you should probably know, that body is semi-permanent. No Keronian technology can reverse the effects…at least, not until I'm fascinated enough to invent the antidote. I guess you're stuck for now, Giroro."

With that, he returned to the underground base, leaving an even more furious Giroro in his wake. There would be hell to pay, that much he was certain of. As soon as he found himself a pair of pants.

* * *

Hinata Aki frowned. She had made the effort to come home early enough to cook dinner, and there was an empty seat at her table. Even the creepy little yellow frog, the one that had some kind of perverse crush on her, had managed to come to dinner, which rarely happened. She had thought they had all gotten past this game of pretending to have manly pride. Even if they were alien frog creatures. They still needed food.

That was not the only strange thing, though. Natsumi was being rather quiet, even though Keroro had talked about his Gundam collection for the past ten minutes at least. She would have done something sooner, usually.

"So," she said at last, interrupting Keroro's Gundam rant, "What happened today? Where's Giro-kun?" Aki asked. The entire table went silent, until Kururu started to chuckle to himself.

"He's probably moping in his tent right about now, or by the fire, cooking sweet potatoes," Kururu answered with a jeering tone. "It won't be long before he breaks…then comes crawling to me to fix him."

_Fix him? _Aki was only even more confused now. She turned to her daughter, wanting answers. "Natsumi, tell me what happened. It's okay for you to tattle this time. I won't complain and say that you're too old for that kind of behavior."

Her daughter's face turned bright red at this, and she looked away in embarrassment. "He was _naked," _she muttered, before her shoulders completely slackened. Natsumi may have been in high school, but she had never seen a boy without his clothing on, besides illustrations in her health textbook. No, scratch that. She had never seen a _man _without his clothing on. That had not been the body of a boy.

Aki laughed, though. "Honey, our frog friends never dress, remember? They don't really need to."

The only response she got out of Natsumi was a shake of the head. _What in the…? _In between bites of rice and fish, Keroro felt it necessary to say, "I must say, you Pekoponian women overreact when it comes to clothing. I don't even understand why you people bother wearing it. Isn't it more comfortable not to? We didn't think we would need to dress Giroro until she started screaming…gero, gero, gero."

She paused for a moment, and it suddenly made sense why Natsumi was so flustered. "Wait, did Giro-kun become a human?" She asked, before jumping up from her seat. "I can so use this for my manga! Natsumi, was he hot?"

Natsumi's head whipped around. "Kaa-chan!" She screeched, her face even more flushed. "That isn't funny at all!"

Aki stuck her tongue out. "Oh, pooh. You aren't any fun," she teased playfully. "Well, I'll just have to see for myself!"

She slid the back door open, and stuck her head out. Giroro's red tent was still standing, as it always was, and beside it, instead of a silhouette of a frog alien, like she was used to seeing, there was a man hunched over a fire. Quietly, she approached the fire, and crouched down next to him. She was given no more than his profile though, since he refused to look in her direction. Aki clicked her tongue with disappointment-he was acting rather childish-before she forcefully turned his entire body to look at her.

His eyes widened in surprise, and he hardly had time to react before she had grabbed his chin, and was angling it different ways to get a full understanding of his facial structure. Aki grinned, "I can definitely work with this. I'll have to wait until the end of the current arch, but turning the characters into humans is a stroke of genius," she cackled to herself. "And you look a lot younger than I would have thought…and handsome too. No wonder Natsumi was so embarrassed! I guess I'll have to play in a little love interest too, since the thirteen-year-old fangirls just eat that stuff up."

"Yes," Giroro snapped quietly, ripping his jaw away, "I'm sure this is all really hilarious to everyone and anyone but me."

He faced back to the fire, slowly turning his sweet potato. For a frog-alien-turned-human, he looked awfully dejected. "Oh, sweetie-" he flinched at the endearment, and his lips pursed, "-Giro-kun," she corrected quickly, "I'm not laughing at you." Well, not much, anyway.

He took a moment to reply. Giroro knew what she was trying to do, and if anything, it made matters worse for him. He was strong enough to handle the situation without being coddled by a Pekoponian woman. At last, he uttered, "My pride as a soldier is wounded enough without you trying to make me feel better."

Maybe it was the mother in her, hidden deep down past the violent, no-nonsense woman that she was, but Aki did feel a small amount of pain for the Keronian. Not enough to give up the thought of putting this lovely plot twist into her manga, naturally, but enough to want to comfort him. She placed a delicate hand on his bare shoulder. "It really is not as bad as you think it is, Giroro-kun."

"And how the hell do you figure that?"

"Well," she hesitated. What could she really say? He was not from Earth, and being a part of the platoon that had been sent to invade it, the last thing he probably wanted was to become human. She supposed she would sweet-talk Kururu later. At the same time, it struck Aki that he was still a man…sort of. And she knew all to well that he had been infatuated with her daughter for years. She could hardly approve of her daughter being involved with the hunky male sitting on the cinderblock before her, but Natsumi _was_ in high school. That was old enough to potentially have an alien boyfriend, right?

"Well," she started again, "Natsumi is a human. And now so are you, at least in appearances. And just because you're body changed its form does not change who you are. You're still the irritable, hot-headed soldier that we all know and love."

Pleased that he was at least contemplating what she said, Aki stood. The rest would be left to Natsumi, and her ability to woo alien frogs.

* * *

The flapping of Giroro's tent, just feet bellow her window, was keeping her up. It was unusually windy, and the temperature had dropped drastically since the sun had set, so her room was colder than she preferred, but she was too cozy to get out of bed and turn up the thermostat. So, Natsumi was left to her thoughts, and to listen to the sounds of a creaking house and the red tent noisily resisting the wind downstairs.

Maybe it was a little immature of her, but she was still slightly abashed by what had transpired that afternoon. Less because she had seen a full-grown, naked man for the first time, but more because of her reaction. It should have been as clear as day that it was the frogs' doing, and yet, she had called him a pervert. It was not as if it was Giroro's fault anyway. Out of all the aliens she had met, he was probably the least likely to make such stupid plans to embarrass her. He was much to straight-forward for that.

She sighed, turning over to face away from her window. It did not help her think of something else, though. She could not believe it, but she felt guilty. Despite his ferocious tendencies, Giroro was a reasonably nice alien, and they had formed a strange sort of friendship over the years, after having ganged up on Keroro so many times. He was the least insane out of all of them.

Why, then, was she letting him sit downstairs in that stupid tent of his, when it had to have been freezing? Surely he could not sleep through such a ruckus. For that matter, why had she ever let that stubborn idiot sleep outside every night? Yes, he was a frog, and yes he was trying to invade her home planet, but they were allies too. Natsumi could hardly understand why, but she refused to let this madness continue. With a huff, she threw back the blankets and slid herself out of bed, hissing when her feet touched the cold floor.

The journey downstairs was even more painful, and on her way, she stopped to turn up the heat. Slipping on a pair of sandals, she snuck out the door and into the backyard. The wind felt as if it were ripping right through her, and the closer she got the the tent, the more ridiculously small it looked. There was no way a grown, adult male could fit comfortably inside. What in the hell was he thinking? Obviously, he was not at all.

It was lit from the inside, so she had assumed correctly that he had not yet fallen asleep. Shaking her head in annoyance, she kneeled down and unzipped the door to his tent, then peering in. She was not sure if she wanted to laugh, or scold him for what she saw. The tent being made for a Keronian's small body, he was now too tall to even sit down, or to lay out at all, meaning he was scrunched up on his side into a cramped ball. To make matters worse, his weaponry took up a fair amount of space, and his little blanket covered no more than his shoulder and upper arm. It did not help at all that he was not wearing anything more than a pair of pants, and sturdy combat boots. Well, at least his feet wouldn't fall off.

"Giroro, what do you think you're doing?" She asked at last. Awkwardly, he tried to turn to face her. Natsumi rubbed the bridge of her nose-the sight of him was beyond absurd.

"It's nighttime," he stated quietly. As if that answered anything. Natsumi grit her teeth.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," she grumbled back. "Now get into the house before you die of hypothermia. I am so not in the mood to make a hospital trip right now."

He grunted, the sound odd coming from a different body. As bizarre as it was, she had gotten rather used to him, and his little, alien body. She was not quite sure what to do with this new, human body of his. Now that she thought of it, the entire situation was not so bad. He might not have thought so, but she certainly did.

At length, he intoned, "I have spent years in this tent, through winter and summer, and I haven't ever needed to sleep in the house. That isn't going to change now, just because of this little mishap." As an afterthought, he added, "Go back to bed, sweetheart."

With that, he wriggled around to look towards the back of his tent. Natsumi was sorely tempted to crawl in there, and drag him out by force. She could not comprehend why he felt it necessary to keep up that manly facade of his. Natsumi was well aware that he was soldier, and that he was proud of his position, but it made no sense for him to intentionally harm himself just to act tough. Were all men this hardheaded? _Well, fine. _Two could play at this game.

"This is hardly a _little_ mishap," she muttered under her breath, before further unzipping the opening to his tent, and slipping into it's only slightly warmer interior. Surprised, he tried to prop himself up on his elbows, his eyes widening as he watched her made herself at home. He did not even need to ask for her to answer his question, "If that's how you want it, then fine. I'll just have to stay down here in the cold too."

"Don't be ridiculous, Natsumi. You'll freeze to death."

"I could say the same to you, stupid frog," she wavered for a moment. "I guess I can't really call you that anymore, can I?"

He stared up at her. This was all like a weird, out of body experience for him. She had somehow managed to fit herself inside, with her legs crossed, and her head pressed against the top of his tent. She, at least, was short enough to join him inside. He should have been overjoyed that she cared enough to crawl out of the comfort of her own bed for his sake, and had the guts to spend the night in a tent, even if it was cold out. Instead, he found himself frustrated that she was so obstinate with him. He was a stubborn enough individual without her butting heads with him.

Giroro swore that some day, she would be the death of him.

At last, he grumbled, "Do whatever you want."

She would give up soon, he was certain. The longer she stayed, the longer he ignored her, the more likely it was that she would relent, and return to her room, where she belonged. There was no way that she was going to be able to tough out the night.

At least, that had been what Giroro had hoped. What he wanted, and what he got, however, were very different things. She was just as persistent as he was, or perhaps even more so. An entire hour passed in this manner, with her quietly sitting, and him trying to ignore her. But when it came down to it, he could not help but to be worried, especially when her teeth started to chatter.

How was this fair? It was her own damned fault, but now he was the bad guy because she refused to leave him in his tent by himself. Now he was the one the one who had to give up, swallow his pride, and go into the house, just because she decided to play games. Well, if it was for Natsumi…Giroro could hardly believe how big his heart was. And how far he had fallen, all because of one Pekoponian.

"You win. Let's go inside."

* * *

AN: I recently fell in love with Keroro Gunsou, and the adorable GiroNatsu pairing, and could not resist posting my own version of the human-Giroro idea. Hopefully it was halfway decent. I may or may not add another chapter onto this…depending on how you guys react. And whether or not I feel like it. Lol.

Oh, and the title…it has nothing to have to do with the story. I just happened to be playing dubstep (rather than the usual death metal) when I was writing it, and my little bro asked me if I was listening to alien communications. High schoolers are so funny~ And anyway, the idea sort of stuck. Whatever the case, enjoy!

Another thing-I totally made up the Theta Planetary System. In the series, Keroro's platoon is supposed to be from the Gamma Planetary System, and Gamma is the greek number for three. Theta is just greek's value for nine. So just picture it being a hell of a lot farther from Earth than even Keron. :D

All feedback is appreciated. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed. I still don't own Keroro Gunsou. Which totally sucks.

* * *

Giroro was regretting his decision within moments of entering the Hinata house. So, he was inside. Now what? Was he supposed to sleep on the couch? While admittedly, that was better than his cramped tent, he was having a difficult time imagining what the morning would be like. Aki would come downstairs early before heading to work, and he would be sprawled out in the living room. That would not be as awkward for him as when Keroro wandered upstairs for breakfast. He had always made a point out of taking no assistance from the Pekoponians when it came down to his own survival…it was all a matter of pride.

How much was he willing to undergo just for her? Apparently, a lot. As stupid as he was feeling though, he could not go back outside. She would probably only follow him, and that would defeat the purpose. Resigning himself to his pitiful fate, Giroro sighed, then sat down on the corner of the couch. "You don't have to worry, sweetheart," he muttered, leaning into the brown cushioning. "I won't go back outside, so you can just head back to bed."

Natsumi nodded her head, understanding that he probably wanted to be alone-most likely so he could mope for a little longer. Undoubtedly, that insufferable, macho-man attitude would be back by morning, and everything would go back to how it used to be. Well, sort of. He would still be a human, at least until Kururu could be persuaded to do something to reverse the effects of his ray gun. Knowing the devious intelligence specialist, this could be quite the duration of time. There was no one that could really force him into doing anything, especially if it could be considered helpful.

Feeling bad for the Keronian-turned-human, she gave him one last look over. Giroro had still yet to procure a shirt for himself, so that blue belt was the only thing he had to cover his upper half. It was strange, but Natsumi could not recall any time that he had not worn the thing. Well, he had lost it once, no thanks to Kururu, but once he had gotten it back, it had stayed on his person at all times. Even now that he had a much bigger body, and the belt was stretched out completely to the point of what had to be discomfort, he still had it on.

Knowing that he had a certain stubbornness that rivaled her own, she shook her head. He probably would not remove it, even if it was at her suggestion. Natsumi just did not see what was so special about the belt; it looked so ordinary. Whatever the case, even if she had dragged him into the house, it was still not exactly the warmest of nights. Wordlessly, she headed down the hallway and out of his sight. Giroro could only assume that she was doing as he had recommended, and was returning from the comforts of her own bed.

He was proven wrong less than a minute later, however, when she returned with a thick blanket. Something about this was simply touching to him. And completely demeaning. He was a soldier, a fact she had yet to learn, and he really did not want, or need, all the pampering he was getting. It was as if his very name was being shamed by this, but it did not really matter. Natsumi had carried that blanket out for him, and all he could think was that if he was especially lucky, a little of her subtly sweet scent would be soaked into into the fabrics, and he could curl up on the couch and breath it in. It sounded amazingly pathetic, even in his mind.

"I'm a cold-blooded creature. I don't need this," Giroro grumbled quietly, still accepting the thick blanket when she offered it.

She shook her head. "Not anymore, you're not." Natsumi answered him. "Human beings need to maintain a certain body heat, or they die. And funerals are expensive."

Giroro swore he felt his heart melt a little at her snappy response. Her delicious sting was the really the reason he had fallen so hard. That, and her left-hook. And she kept him coming back for more with that same bite. Maybe it was because some part of his subconscious was a twisted masochist, and that was why he had managed to love her for so long. Or perhaps it had more to have to do with the fact that she really was nothing like the usual women he had interacted with in his past. Of course, it was natural that Pekoponian women would be completely different from those on Keron.

Keronian women had never been able to hold his interest, unlike Natsumi. They were way to ready to roll over and act submissive for a man, and though most Keronian males appreciated this trait, he certainly did not. It was…weak. And Natsumi was like a warrior princess. If she did not like something, she did something about it. Though he was usually the one that payed the price for this, he still liked this aspect of her personality. To jump to the point, she just did not take bullshit, no matter who was dishing it out.

"Well, thanks for you're concern," he murmured, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders. Good. Now she would go back to bed, and he could try to process just what the hell she was thinking, acting so kind towards him. Only, she did not turn and leave. She sat herself down on the couch opposite of him, bringing her legs up to cross them lazily. He shot her a bewildered look.

Natsumi shrugged. "You can't expect me to be able to fall asleep _now," _she told him, hugging a couch pillow. Not when things had just gotten so interesting. Besides, when else would she ever be alone with a shirtless hot guy in her living room, with how much those frogs loved to intervene?

Natsumi mentally sputtered. What in the hell was she thinking? This was _Giroro_. How could she possibly be thinking something like that about him, even if he had been turned into a rather attractive human? It was utterly absurd; no matter what he transformed into, he was still the gruff soldier she knew all too well. She giggled to herself-he would have probably laughed if he had known what she was thinking. It was silly, even for her.

For the second time that evening, Giroro found himself saying, "Do whatever you want."

At this, she snickered. "You don't need to tell _me_ that," she informed him, after he gave her a confused look. "I'll do what I want, regardless of whatever you say."

Giroro pursed his lips in exasperation. "Yes, I've gathered that much."

She laughed again, and this time he was sure it was at his expense. Well, that did not matter so much to Giroro, as long as she was happy. He sighed, running his hand through strands of short, red hair-it was still a lot to get used to. What Aki had told him earlier still struck a cord. _Natsumi is a human. And now so are you… _He got the sinking feeling that almost everyone knew about his feelings for Natsumi besides her. It was fine, he supposed, as long as she never found out.

Natsumi watched this action quietly, easily interpreting his chagrined expression. It must have been difficult, she surmised, for him to become the very species he was ordered to invade. "Is it really so bad, being a human?" She asked. Natsumi was not so much offended as she was curious, even if she did have a biased view of her own race.

He huffed, frowning. How could he answer her question simply? He was still conflicted about the situation. "Yes, and no," he answered quietly. "I am a lot stronger with this body, as much as I hate to admit it, and I blend in a lot more than I did before. An invasion would run much more smoothly this way." He watched as she rolled her eyes at his logic. "However, there is no telling when I'll turn back, knowing Kururu. Hell, that bastard might just keep me this way for shits and giggles. If I have to spend the rest of my life as a Pekoponian, there's no way I can face the Keronian military forces." Or his family, for that matter.

A new sense of dread washed over him. His older brother, Garuru, was the ultimate invader, a Lieutenant that led an A-rank platoon. Garuru would never let him live it down if he found out. But never mind what Garuru would do; if his father learned of this…Giroro was afraid to even think of what horrors would befell him. He swallowed at the very notion. Or his _mother. _She was probably the most terrifying out of all of them.

As his face grew more and more panicked, for reasons that Natsumi could only conjecture, she felt a strange sense of apprehension. This was not the Giroro she knew. It was disconcerting to see him so out of sorts, and as awkward as it was, she did the only thing she knew that could comfort him. She crossed the space to where he was situated, then curled herself next to him, letting out a long breath of air.

Giroro felt his heart jump into his throat. All the muscles in his body contracted, the surprise of physical contact with her being almost too much for him. He somehow managed to utter, "What are you doing?"

Natsumi looked up at his flustered face, before grinning to herself and leaning against his shoulder. For a tough little soldier, he was easy to rile up. "I'm cold. You're warm. Do the math," she replied haughtily, before adding in a softer tone, "Besides, you said I could do whatever I wanted."

He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, trying to play down his embarrassment, with no satisfactory results. It was amazing how simple it was for her to distract him. Amazing, and pitiful. "Why didn't you say so?" He huffed, throwing the blanket around her as well. The heady scent of vanilla and brown sugar and sunshine coming from her hair was making him do crazy things, apparently.

He should have, once she had fallen asleep against him, carried her up to bed. She would have been more comfortable there, if nothing else. Giroro was feeling particularly selfish, however, and knew he had been given the chance of a lifetime. This was never going to happen to him again, and he wanted to enjoy it for as long as he possibly could. Come morning, life would go right back to how it always was, and she would go back to pretending she was indifferent. She was such a tease, after all.

Instead, he felt himself drift off as well. It was hard not too-he had never felt so relaxed as he did then, after the initial self-consciousness had faded. His only wish, as impractical as it was, was that she would stay curled next to him forever.

* * *

A devious series of chuckles could be heard throughout the lab. Words could not describe how pleased Kururu was that he had set up a surveillance system in the Hinata residence, because now he had the perfect material for blackmail. He wondered briefly how many copies he should make of Giroro snuggling with Natsumi, or if he should simply broadcast it on downtown Tokyo's many mega-screens. That would be evil, even for him, and Natsumi and Giroro would probably join forces in beating him to a bloody pulp. But when had that ever stopped him? It was always worth it.

He continued to snicker to himself as he effortlessly hacked through the Pekoponian security system, before pausing for effect. Then, without any further ado, he pressed the final key that would start streaming the amusing scene he had managed to capture. Quickly, he changed viewpoints to the cameras he had set up in the busy areas of Tokyo. Oh, yes. This material was definitely worth keeping for a long time to come. Thousands of shocked expressions of the Japanese night-owls could be seen for his entertainment, and he could hardly wait see how his two subjects of observation would react to being seen cuddled up by everyone they knew.

It would be startling, after all, if a hacking job done as smoothly as his did not make the morning news, and their embarrassment would be further spread to the Pekoponians that had missed the opportunity of seeing them live. Kururu just loved it when things went horribly wrong.

* * *

It was morning, she knew. Too tired to open her eyes just yet, Natsumi stretched with a quiet moan, before settling down again. It was somehow wrong though, because where she lay felt nothing like her bed. Her eyes shot open immediately at this realization. As soon as she had done so, she found herself face to face with Giroro, his eyes still shut in sleep. Her cheeks burned as she recalled her own boldness the night previous. She hoped that she had not given him the wrong idea, somehow.

Natsumi felt less worried about it when she looked at his peaceful expression again. He had grown a little stubble overnight, and she minutely prayed that he would not shave it off…it was strangely becoming on him. Almost instinctively, she sunk back into his warmth, his musky aroma pleasing to her senses. Then she was reminded of the real world, and how wholly inappropriate it was for her to have slept with him on the couch, by the sound of footsteps above her head.

Fuyuki was awake, and undoubtedly was on his way downstairs. Alarmed, she carefully tore herself away from him, not wanting her younger brother to see her in such a compromising position. Quickly shifting her glance around the room to be sure no one had already entered without her noticing, she covered Giroro with the blanket again. It would just be great if he slept until she left for school, so she could think of what to say to him at some point in the day. She took one more look at his sleeping face, unable to keep a small smile from her face. Moving compulsively, and almost against her own will, she gently pressed her lips to his cheek.

Then the consequences of what she had just done struck her with its heavy weight, and she fled to her bedroom, where she could take the time she needed to mentally recover from what she had just discovered. It was possible that she had feelings that she should not have had for Giroro. How stupid could she get? It was not as if he cared about her, or anything-

Just what in the hell was she thinking?

* * *

"Hey, Natsumi-chan!"

She turned to see Yayoi was approaching her desk with a rather perverse grin on her face. "I thought you told me that you weren't going to get yourself a boyfriend until after you graduated," she said with a teasing tone.

Natsumi gave her a dubious look. After figuring that Saburo was never going to like her, she had given up on the whole idea of romance. School was more important, anyway. "That hasn't changed at all," Natsumi replied dryly. "Don't try to introduce me to your older brother's friends again. I already said that it wasn't going to work."

Yayoi laughed. "Oh, you don't have to lie to _me, _Natsumi-chan. Everyone already knows about that hunky redhead by now."

Hunky redhead? She did not really know anyone that could be called that besides Giroro, and even then, she was not sure she would use a term quite like that. But she was certain that Yayoi could not have been talking about him. No one had seen him, even as a human, besides the members of the Hinata family. As far as she knew, he had yet to venture outside the house since the transformation. How was anyone supposed to know about him?

"Hunky…redhead?" She repeated back.

Her friend laughed. "Yeah," she sighed wistfully. "My favorite part was when you told him to _do the math. _It was so cute!"

_Do the math? _That was something that she had told Giroro the night previous, after he had questioned her comforting notions. For some reason, it was clear that her friend had seen this. Now the only thing that mattered was finding out how this was even possible. It had been rather late, and she could not think of anyone who would be interested in her nightlife enough to spy. Well, besides that Kururu creep, but he spied on everyone, even the members of his own platoon.

She sighed. This was getting her nowhere. "Okay, is this a hidden camera show, or something? I've already been in one of those before, and I don't need to a second time."

Yes, she had done that whole jig. It had not been funny to see herself in a towel, jumping from roof to roof all throughout the neighborhood, chasing Giroro. And Natsumi had the distinct feeling that whatever this was, she was not going to find it amusing either. Even worse than that, she had that nagging feeling that one of those stupid frogs was the moot cause of it, yet again. She doubted that Giroro was in on it-he was not so great of an actor that he could manipulate her into cuddling. In fact, it had shocked him a lot. No, it had to be another one of them.

Yayoi looked surprised at this. "Are you telling me that you don't know what was broadcasted in downtown Tokyo last night? It's all over the news, and everyone is talking about it. It's probably gone viral by now."

Natsumi felt something dark and heavy drop into the pit of her stomach. It could not be that she and Giroro had been seen…and by such a large crowd of people, right? The voice in the back of her head had no reason to go into denial, however, and it was clear that it was very possible, with all the alien technology in her house, and an incredibly talented hacker hidden somewhere bellow the basement.

She clenched her teeth at the thought. "No, I don't know what was broadcasted," Natsumi grit out in frustration. That was why she was asking. Yayoi bit her bottom lip, feeling as if she had said something she should not have. She, having known Natsumi since grade school, knew better than most how horrid her temper was. The last thing she needed was to have an angry Natsumi hot on her trail, because the bearer of bad news always drew the short end of the stick.

Maybe it would be best to just show her the raw material, rather than telling her. Wordlessly, she took out her cell phone, then flipped it open. Scrolling through her memory, she selected the video, then handed the phone to Natsumi. Now all she could ask for was that Natsumi not crush her phone (or chuck it across the class, or stomp it to death under her foot) when she saw what half of Japan was talking about.

She watched in silence. There really was nothing she could say to defend herself, because the camera did not lie. What had happened-what had seemed so innocent the night previous-looked completely different on the screen of a little, pink cell phone, and now, her life was officially ruined. Not in that cliche, teenage-drama sort of way, but for real. She was literally going to die of embarrassment. Die, right there in the classroom.

Well, this certainly explained why she had gotten such strange looks on her way to school. And why so many of the girls in her class had giggled when she walked in.

Natsumi tried to let this all process, when her eye caught a little, yellow symbol on the lower-left corner of the screen. Of course. She had been right, after all. The clip ended, and she calmly closed the phone and set it down on her desk. As usually, that evil, curry-loving frog was right in the middle of her troubles. Sometimes he proved to be more problematic than Keroro was. She shut her eyes for a moment, having to swallow her breakfast again as she thought how very likely it was that her mother had seen this as well.

As usual, there was only one solution. She was going to have to skewer a stupid frog for playing in the dirt and mucking up her life with it. Slowly, she stood. Natsumi was just thankful that the teacher had yet to arrive, and that she had any amount of time to charge back home and bash Kururu's head in. "Thank you for showing me this, Yayoi-chan," Natsumi uttered at last. "If Sensei asks, I went home to roast a stupid frog for very possibly ruining my entire life."

At first glance, she looked rather composed, considering what she had just witnessed. Then Yayoi was given a small peek at her overwhelming battle aura. She realized only then that one of her best friends was a red-haired demon from the very depths of hell, on Earth only to wage war for her broken pride. Yes, this was going to give her nightmares at some point in the near future. It was best not to stop Natsumi when she had reached her breaking point, so the only thing she could do was numbly nod her head, and watch as she steadily strolled out of the classroom.

Without the frightening aura in the room, it felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She would enjoy this for as long as she possibly could.

* * *

It was eight in the morning, he had enjoyed a rather strong cup of coffee, and he had even managed to attend the sad excuse of a war meeting that Keroro had thrown together. Giroro was feeling surprisingly satisfied with his life, despite his current dilemma.

And then, all hell broke loose.

It had started with the slamming of the front door. He had been outside with a pile of sweet potatoes; since his new body was bigger, it needed more fuel to run properly. In other words, he found himself hungry more often than he was used to. He had looked up from the fire just in time to see Natsumi stomping furiously in his direction. She was actually quite scary, even to someone like him. _God, he loved her so much. _

Though he was much bigger than her now, she pulled him to his feet, and started to drag him away by the hand. "Help me kill that evil yellow frog, and I'll make you breakfast," she seethed.

Giroro seriously wondered if she did it on purpose, because she had never looked as beautiful as she did then. Her fury was simply engrossing, her tone of voice enchanting, her glare powerful enough to cause heart attacks in men of lesser strength. And her battle aura-so fiery hot as she dragged him away from his sweet potatoes-was more than enough to burn right through him. He did not know why she was angry with Kururu, and in all honesty, he hardly cared. He was possessed by her glorious ferocity, and could see nothing but her.

He was vaguely aware that she was towing him down into the secret base, and that he had been handed a weapon of some sort, but he was much to distracted to even take notice of what she had given him. What woman other than her left burn marks on the ground where she stepped? He was certain that no one could do that besides her. Not even his own mother, the one Keronian female that had the backbone to keep him, his father, and Garuru in line, had this brand of rage. No-this hellcat was especially fierce.

He only really became aware of what was going on when they reached Kururu's lab, and she was roaring with the ferocity of a dragon, "You better have written your will, because I'm going to rip your heart right out of your stupid, froggy chest, and _squeeze." _She had the voice of an angel. A warrior angel born in hell.

Apparently, Kururu felt safe and sound from inside his lab, because the intercom he had set up was switched on, and they could hear his fiendish chuckling. _"That didn't last very long at all," _he jeered into the microphone. _"I was hoping that you would at least go a day without figuring out what I pulled. You're no fun, Natsumi."_

She growled. And Giroro swore he must have been swooning. "I don't care if I'm not fun!" She shouted back at him. "Either get your ass out here and face your doom, or I'm forcing my way in!"

The answer she got was another bout of obnoxious laughter. _"Does lover-boy over there even know about the video yet?"_

She turned bright red. In all her fury, she had neglected telling him. It was embarrassing enough as it was, and some part of her had just assumed that he liked beating on Kururu whenever he got the chance, excuse or not. Apparently, he did not need a reply from her to know the truth. His cackling grew louder as a holographic screen appeared in front of the lab, and the same footage Yayoi had showed her was played.

_"What's really sweet though," _Kururu sneered over the intercom, _"was this morning. I wish you could have done this last night…that would have been perfectly hilarious. And even harder for you to explain, huh, Natsumi?"_

Giroro watched this unfold. Kururu was a creep, so he should not have been so surprised that he had been peeping in on them. It still angered him slightly, but Kururu watched over everyone. In a way, it was his job to be a spying bastard, as the intelligence officer of their platoon. Of course, he was meant to spy on the enemy, rather than who he was in cohorts with, but sides of a war meant very little to him. If it was interesting, he was going to watch it.

Then he paused. _What about this morning? _By the time he had woken up, Natsumi had already left for school, so he had not seen her at all.

"You are _not _showing anyone that!" Natsumi squealed, aiming the gun she had grabbed for herself, and firing. Not that it had any affect.

_"Do you think bullets work on _holograms?" He snickered at her, making her feel even more self-conscious than she already did. _"And you should be glad I haven't posted this on my youtube account yet," _Kururu added mischievously, fast-forwarding through thedead hours of night that he had filmed. Helplessly, Natsumi watched herself wake up. She watched herself blush. She watched herself cover Giroro with the blanket after getting up. She watched herself kiss him. And then she wanted to fall into a hole to spend the rest of her pathetic life in.

It should not have mattered so much; it was just an innocent peck on the cheek. But then she saw how Giroro reacted to seeing it. His face was almost as red as his hair. Why was she so embarrassed by this, though? Unless her own suspicions were right, and she really did have feelings for that could not have been possible. He was an alien frog that wanted nothing more than to invade her planet. Even if he did not look like it at the moment. She was not allowed to have feelings for someone who was considered her enemy. It should have be impossible. Yet…yet, she certainly felt _something. _

_"Well, anyway, it was still worth it…even if hacking that Pekoponian security system to broadcast that beautiful scene in downtown Tokyo last night posed no challenge whatsoever. Being a genius is so hard, sometimes."_

That was when his anger kicked in, and he understood why she had been so wonderfully furious before. Giroro finally looked down to see what it was that Natsumi had handed him earlier-a Keronian rocket launcher. He smirked devilishly, sorely tempted to swoop her off her feet and kiss her silly right then and there. She just knew his style all too well. Whatever the case, when they were finished, all that would be left in their wake was a yellow frog beaten to the point where his features were no longer distinguishable, and a destroyed laboratory.

"Step back and cover your ears, sweetheart," he growled, bracing himself for the impact. She did as he instructed, and was the first one to dash forward when the smoke cleared, her lithe body slipping smoothly through the debris. He followed quickly after her, a giddiness he had not felt in a long time making him grin widely when he saw that she had already had Kururu dangling from his feet. Her own smile, just as frightening as his, spread across pink lips. It was clear that Kururu really had not put up a fight, and freak of nature that he was, he was probably looking forward to their versions of torture. There was a reason that he was so difficult to break.

Her voice, so deceptively sweet, cooed, "So, what do you think we should do with our captive?"

* * *

Natsumi wiped the Keronian blood off her cheek, then turned from the torture site she and Giroro had set up for Kururu's sake. "I'll let you take care of clean up," she said casually, "I need a bath to scrub off that creep's bodily fluids. I'll make you something for lunch after that." Natsumi had promised him breakfast, but dealing with Kururu had taken much longer than she had thought it would.

He replied with a snort. "They're _his _entrails. _He _can clean them up."

Either way, Natsumi did not care, as long as _she_ did not have to. It was an interesting incident, at least, and now she had real torture experience under her belt. That would come in handy at some point. All she could say was that Kururu was lucky to have developed a special heal-all for after life-threatening torture sessions. They probably would not have gone so far that he would need to use it, either, if he had just stopped laughing like a maniac. As if he were enjoying it.

He would be as good as new in a hour or so, according to Giroro, and so there was no reason to hold back. Now she was left with the feeling of satisfaction. It had taken three hours of tormenting Kururu to realize it, but now she was certain. She had fallen in love with an alien frog. It had been incredibly stupid of her to do, but now that she had recognized the emotions that swelled in her whenever she thought of him, there was no stopping it. She, like every other woman, was helpless to her feelings.

Not that it really matter how she felt. It was not as if Giroro felt anything for her, besides perhaps a deranged sense of friendship. He was kind to her, and at times, was really thoughtful, but that was not love. And in the end, he was going to convince Kururu to turn him back into a Keronian. There was no way she could be so selfish that she would ask him to stay a human for her sake, even if he _did_ return her sentiments. Just how he would never be able to ask her to become a frog for him.

This was all superficial, anyway. It was not as if the feelings she had were particularly new, just newly realized. What he looked like was not the important part.

She sighed, slowly sinking into a hot bath. It was probably best that she did not let her mind linger on such subjects. Self-torture was not the most healthy of her habits. She had spent years doing this with Saburo, and she was not going to be repeating that. Years of fawning over him, too oblivious to realize that he would only ever see her as a friend. Her childhood had been wasted that way, and she was not going to spend the next few years that way, until she finally worked up the backbone to confess.

Not that she ever planned on telling a red frog alien that she was in love with him. She was not looking to be laughed at by him. Natsumi decided in those three hours of torturing Kururu that she would let things go on as they always had.

Now…what did one cook for an alien-turned-human with a fondness for sweet potatoes? She may have lived with him since she was thirteen, but she hardly knew anything about what he liked. She had made that chocolate cake for him once, but he had half-heartedly complained that it was too sweet; though she was under the impression he was just trying to act more manly, because apparently, sweets detracted from masculinity.

She giggled to herself, wondering what he would do if she tried to pull that again. Something told her that he would appreciate it more than he would allow himself to show.

* * *

A week had passed. A strangely uneventful week, in which she had done little more than go to school everyday, come home, and cook dinner every night. Giroro knew this, because he had done nothing within the week besides watch her. After they had tormented Kururu, he had been convinced to erase the memories of everyone who had seen the video he had broadcasted in downtown Tokyo. Alien technology was always so convenient in a cinch. That left no one with memories of the incident besides him, Natsumi, and the culprit that had caused it. Giroro had not been able to convince him to transform him back into a Keronian yet, but one thing at a time. At least Natsumi could go to school now without being pestered by her fellow classmates, and as usual, her happiness meant more to him than his own.

Besides, there were some perks to being a Pekoponian now. He did not need one of Keroro's ridiculous disguises to walk down the street anymore, since he blended in almost perfectly. Red hair was not exactly common in Japan, so people still looked at him curiously, and his scar did stand out a little. None of this was as ground breaking as those subtle changes he had sensed from Natsumi. She had kissed him, albeit on his cheek, for the first time. And now that she had moved forward on her own, he had been given new determination.

She would be his. He was not going to give up, not until he got what he wanted. Yes, he would teach her what it really meant to be stubborn. Yet, as he stood on the porch, watching her prepare dinner through the sliding door, he still could not gather the courage to enter the house and hold any sort of conversation while she cooked. He was a soldier, and he could not even handle something so simple without embarrassing himself.

Then she turned, and saw him. Giroro almost went back to polishing his weaponry by the fire he had started, but she blushed. And now he was absolutely mesmerized by her. With a smile, she set down the knife she had been using to chop carrots for stew, and wiping her hands on the apron she wore, she approached the glass door. He was still frozen when she opened it.

"I don't understand why you are so determined to put on that tough-guy act by staying in the yard all day with your stupid guns. Going into the house doesn't make you any less strong," she told him matter of fact, before adding with a wink, "So, get in here if you want to watch me so badly. I wouldn't mind a little company."

He nodded his head awkwardly, allowing her to pull him inside. There was no point in hiding the fact he had been watching her the past ten minutes, since he had already been caught. She had him sit at the table, and he watched as she finished chopping carrots, before moving on to red potatoes. She was good at almost everything she did, even domestic chores. Well, perhaps not cleaning so much, but she was amazing in the kitchen. Better than him, in any case (not that that meant much).

She finished the last of her prepping, then cleaned her hands in the sink and turned to him with arms crossed. "Are you going to say anything, or do I have to be the one to strike a conversation?"

Natsumi had no idea why she had been so worried about being in love with him. She had been so afraid that she would be unable to act as she always had with him, but just as she had wanted, everything had returned to as it was supposed to be. It always had been easy for her to talk with him, so it would not have made sense if that had changed. Of course, he was just as adorably awkward as he always had been. It added to his charm, just like his five o'clock shadow.

"You were the one who told me to come inside," he replied dryly. That, she had. But, she shrewdly noted, _he_ had been the one observing her in the first place. The more she thought about it, the more odd that seemed to her. And then it occurred to her, there were a lot of times where he had been watching her from a distance. And there were also a lot of times where that had saved her life.

She inwardly smiled. He was her protector, and had been for years. Natsumi hoped that much never changed. "Yes," she murmured back, "but only because you had been spying on me again," her tone turning faintly flirtatious. If he caught this much, however, he did nothing to show it.

"I was studying pekoponian culinary techniques," He countered gruffly. "Kururu is the only one that spies around here."

She stared at him flatly. That was probably the biggest load of nonsense she had ever heard from him. This made her question it even more…but pushing him was not the best of ideas. Natsumi had seen his temper in action before, and it was as bad as hers was. Logic had no power over her mouth, though, and she found herself calling out on his falsehood. "Really, then. What did you learn from _studying_ me?"

She was teasing him, Giroro realized. No, she was practically flirting with him. He hardly knew how to manage such a phenomenon from her. He gawked a her as she walked about the kitchen, her full hips swaying gracefully as she stepped to take the free seat next to him. It had to be intentional. She was not the sort of girl to lead him around in circles without even realizing it. Now he had to question why.

"You are skilled with the knife, and clearly have a lot of experience." He stated quietly. "If applied to the battlefield-"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Giroro, don't be a joker." She wanted to know why he had unfailingly been there as her little, red protector. She wanted to know why he had always put her well-being before his stupid invasion, or his own safety, for that matter. She wanted to know why he called her _sweetheart. _

Giroro looked into her hazelnut eyes, and was able to read what she was really asking. It was the universe, telling him that now was his chance. She was at a place where she could, just maybe, accept him. And if did not follow his gut instinct to declare his affection for her, it was likely that he would never get another opportunity. Now was not the time to be doubting himself, but as the seconds ticked past, and the words he needed to say remained stuck on the tip of his tongue, he realized there really were no words that could possibly describe exactly how he felt for her.

So, he did the only thing that came to mind. He removed the belt from around his torso, popped open the buckle's secret compartment, and stared down at the photograph hidden within. Giroro had gotten a newer picture of her recently, but he still kept the first one inside the compartment as well. He sighed, resigned to his fate, before looking up at her with restored resolve. "This is my lucky charm," he asserted softly, "and the reason I never take off my belt."

She held it delicately, gazing down at an image of herself. Gently, she removed it from its home, only to find an older one behind it. This one was much more worn looking, as if he may have spent hours holding it. She took this one out too, flipping it over to see a barely legible caption; _Warrior Princess. _Natsumi barely had the strength to look up at him, and even then, she did not know what to even say.

Giroro loved her. He had loved her for a long time, too. He had loved her, even if she had only been a silly, fickle girl, chasing after a boy that felt nothing for her. It made her ashamed of what her own feelings had been. She was not worthy of someone as dedicated as he was, someone who had loved her even if she had done nothing but tolerate his presence. He must have realized this much as well, but had not cared. Her heart clenched uncomfortably, aching in a way she was unfamiliar with.

"How long have you…?" She uttered at last.

"Since that time you punched me through the backdoor when we first met." He whispered back with a small smirk. "It was love at first black eye."

It was too much. This was way more than a horribly violent girl like her deserve, especially after all the cruel things she had done to him. Even what she currently felt for him would never make up for her foolish blindness. Natsumi covered her face with both hands, not sure how to even say that she had finally realized how he made her feel. It would only sound lukewarm, compared to what he had just showed her. Natsumi felt the hot tears of shame blur her vision, and her cheeks warmed. It had been idiotic of her to even think he would not return her feelings.

Giroro watched, growing more distressed with every passing moment, until her shoulders started to shake with every choked sob that escaped from her throat. She was…rejecting him after all? He should have figured it would be like this. Still, he could not regret confessing. At least she would know now, and that would have to be good enough. It had never mattered to him if she ever returned his sentiments, because either way, he would be at her side. He would protect her, and one day, when she ended up married and with a family, she would protect her children too.

Quietly, he stood. He would not cause her any more anguish. She could return the belt later, when she had finished crying. Giroro had turned to leave, when a small, dainty had had shot out to snatch his wrist. He looked over his shoulder in astonishment, and caught her expression. He could not think of a time where he had seen so much joy in her eyes. His heart stopped, the rest of his body protesting as he tried to comprehend what this signified.

"Don't tell a girl that you love her, then disappear before she can say it back," she scolded softly. He must have looked like a fish out of water to her, because she started to laugh. In an instant, it all clicked. And when it did, consequences be damned, he impulsively did what he had longed to do for years. He pulled her to her feet, cupped her cheeks in his hands, and leaned in to press his lips to hers.

Natsumi squeaked in surprise, not having expected him to move so quickly to any level of intimacy. This was her first kiss, and she felt as if she should warn him that she had no idea what she was supposed to do, or how she should react, before her body took her mind out of the equation and acted on its own. Something told her he would not have cared if she was clueless, anyway. She moved slightly closer into his larger, warm body, before wrapping two arms around his neck and pulling him in. His naturally masculine scent was overwhelming to the point where she felt her knees start to buckle from faintness.

He caught her though, just as he always did, humming against her mouth as he twisted his lips into a different angle. The affect of his touch was so similar to drunkenness that she did not even hesitate, or try to pull back, when his tongue prodded at her lips. She gasped, allowing him entrance, and drinking in his sweet breath. It was a very peculiar sensation for her, to have his hot, moist tongue gliding alongside hers, but she was glad he was holding her so close, because the bottom half of her body was completely numb.

And though his initial contact had been rather frantic, his sense of urgency had quickly faded, and had been replaced with a sort of gentleness she would not have suspected the soldier of. He somehow knew just what to do, releasing her mouth when her breathing grew desperate, and resting his forehead against hers as his own lungs attempted to catch up with his feverish heartbeat. She felt so warm, inside and out, as if she would be content staying right there in his arms for the rest of her life.

Yes, she could certainly get used to this.

* * *

_The End_

* * *

AN: There you have it, people! The second installment of my first GiroNatsu fanfic! I already have ideas for a sequel... so keep you're eyes on the lookout for that. I had a real blast writing this, and hopefully you guys enjoyed reading it as well. The second half ended up being longer than the other, but I figured you guys wouldn't mind too much, since the first chapter was so short. ^^

In any case, thank you for the reviews. :) Feedback is always appreciated.


End file.
